Vancouver Wine Interviews

John Szabo M.S. - 

I met John Szabo while I was in Toronto for the Niagara wine festival this September. John was the guest presenter for an event held by the Ontario Wine Society. The event was an Ontario Shiraz/Syrah tasting comparing 6 reds from Ontario, 1 Australian, and 1 French. John arrived shortly before the rest of the room to taste through the wines blind. John then went on to evaluate correctly each wine's country and producer going 8 for 8. Informing the room what indicators in each wine gave away to his choices. John took the time to explain to the room how the different climates helped to distinguish the flavour characteristic of the variety in each different region. Australia with its warm and longer growing season led to riper grapes higher in sugar levels leading to a more concentrated wine, higher in alcohol than its French counterpart which had darker earthy characteristics and higher levels of tannin and acidity. What really blew me away was when John correctly picked the 2006 Laliey, after distinguishing the oak he was picking up on was Canadian Oak.

In 2004 John became Canada's first and only Master Sommelier, a title he received from the Court of Master Sommeliers in London, England. John has a lengthy resume that includes: Wine educator and consultant with his firm CVA (Centre for Vine Affairs), contributing editor to Wine Access and Toronto's City Bites magazine, Vice President of the Wine Writers Circle of Canada, Wine Director of Oasi Restaurant and Lounge, and owner of a small vineyard in Eger, Hungary.

What are your go-to wine-and-food pairings?
When teaching about food and wine pairings at the Court of Master Sommeliers, I often refer to matches falling into one of 4 categories:
1. Disaster, where both the food and the wine taste worse together than on their own
2. "Switzerland": rather neutral, everything is cool; neither is engaged, but no major international incidents...
3. Solo Acts: either the food or the wine really sings, overshadowing the other
4. Pure magic: the most elusive and difficult to reproduce moments of magic where both food and wine are brought to a new level.

The magic moments are hard to hit, but usually at least a solo act is possible. Every once in a while, a pairing that looks great on paper turns out to be a disaster. You really won't know until you try. But that is the fun of it. The same recipe followed to the letter in two different places or seasons can be radically different - just think of a tomato salad in winter versus late summer, or a beef BBQ in Argentina versus Norway. There are no rules, but there are guidelines. Rather than just stick to a few "go-to" pairings it is much more fun to experiment (I hate drinking the same wine twice unless it is really damn good).

I'll key off the dominant flavour component in a dish (such as a sauce, for example). Consider cooking methods and whether they add an extra dimension of flavour (steaming or boiling vs. grilling or pan frying). Look at matching up weight and flavour intensities; choose high acid wines whenever the chef would usually add acid (lemon on seafood/shellfish). Accept that vegetables and wines generate "Switzerlands" at best (how often do chefs plate fruit [fermented grape juice] and vegetables together - Vegetables and starch, and fruit and protein are more commonly found on the same plate). Bring together successful combinations like sweet and spicy or sweet and salty. Beat the tannins in monster reds into submission with a protein club. Or occasionally just close my eyes and hope to discover something new and unexpected. It's only food and wine after all, and at the very least I'll satisfy my hunger and slake my thirst, and get that warm fuzzy feeling.


For your own personal consumption and entertaining at home, what wines do you always have on hand?
Lots of laser sharp, minerally whites - love them. Rieslings from all over the world, Albariños and Verdjo's from Spain, dry Furmints from Hungary, Assyrtiko from Santorini and Robola from Cephalonia in Greece, Loire Valley Chenin Blanc, Austrian Grüner Veltliners, Chardonnay from Chablis/Burgundy/Prince Edward County and Champagne with bubbles in it, among others, indigenous whites from Mount Etna in Italy, Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire, San Antonio Valley in Chile, Ontario, and many others, Arneis and Cortese, Friulano and Garganega from northern Italy, Hunter Valley Semillon... Too many to name really, everyday is a new day.


How did you go about learning wine?
Reading, tasting, traveling and talking to the people who know: winemakers, sommeliers, and anyone who knows anything about what interests me. Once you are hooked, there is no turning back. Learning more becomes an imperative and a precondition to drinking better wine.


What are your thought about the wines coming out of BC?
Generally excellent at the high end. Excessive oak and alcohol continues to be a problem in some case though. As varieties are matched to sites rather than marketing plans, vineyards age and experience grows, consistency will no doubt improve even more and a few will be on the top shelf.


Sell me on Hungarian wine in one short paragraph:
Interesting, high quality, indigenous grapes like Kékfrankos (red) and Furmint, Harslevelu, Kéknyelu, Juhfark (white) produce wines of individual style and unique regional characteristics. A chain of extinct volcanoes across the northern edge of the country offers highly mineral soils with excellent drainage, ideal exposure and a long, cool growing season - all of the necessary factors to grow first class grapes with natural balance. And hey, Hungarian wines are a little different and exotic. Who needs another Chardonnay or Merlot (which also happen to grow well in Hungary)?


I'm in Toronto for one night where to I go for dinner?
My new restaurant Oasi at 99 Sudbury Street near Queen and Dovercourt in the hip west end, of course.

What is the hardest dish on a dinner menu you have had to pair with wine, and what do you pair it with?
Lamb Vindaloo prepared at the Indian Rice Factory - one of my clients. Believe it or not, what works is bold fruity, full throttle Zinfandel. Yes, that accentuates the burn of spice and alcohol, but how many other wines have enough flavour intensity and sweet fruit to even hope to go toe-to-toe with a Vindaloo? Besides, the Indians usually pair hot tea with spicy dishes to create that highly prized burning sensation. They call it "muzza". So they are right at home with this pairing.

What is your dream bottle?
Any bottle that I'm drinking with my wife on a warm terrace watching the sun set over the sea with a plate of impeccably fresh, minimally prepared local ingredients sourced from within 1km from where we are sitting....